BMC polls: Officials appeal against voter apathy, say all preparations made

Voting percentage in the 2007 and 2012 BMC polls stood at 42% and 45%, respectively

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is geared up for Tuesday's elections for 227 municipal wards in which 2,275 candidates are in the fray.

As Mumbai is known for voter apathy, the BMC on Monday appealed to the voters to come out in large numbers and cast their vote.

"We are ready to help you exercise your franchise. Please take part in this democratic process on Tuesday from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm and cast your vote," the Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said in a statement.

He said that the civic body was fully prepared to hold the election across 227 electoral wards through 7,304 polling booths at 1,582 places.

Out of 91,80,491 registered voters, 50,30,361 are male, 49,49,749 female and 381 transgenders.

A senior official overseeing the poll preparations said, "All preparatory work to conduct free and fair (polls) is completed. We have gone extra mile to ensure smooth voting and good turnout. We are spending almost Rs 95 crore for over 91 lakh voters, which roughly goes over Rs 100 per voter."

He said the civic body had appealed to Mumbaikars to shed apathy and "get rid of the record of staging poor turnout in elections".

Counting of the votes would take place on Thursday.

The voting percentage in the BMC polls held in 2007 and 2012 stood at 42 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively.